The Book Works Celebrates 35 Years

Almost 40 years ago, Milane Christiansen, the founder and now-former owner of The Book Works in Del Mar, California, moved to San Diego, and brought her love of literature with her.

“At the time, there didn’t seem to be a lot of literary life going on,” she said. “So I decided I would bring it here.”

Christiansen opened The Book Works in 1976, hoping to create a space where customers would feel comfortable. She added tables and chairs to the store’s design, which, she said, was quite unusual at the time. Most importantly though, Christiansen wanted the place to have a literary emphasis, so she began hosting as many authors as possible, from a variety of genres.

“There weren’t as many bookstores, so we got on the national touring lists,” she said. “We’ve had so many authors here, I can’t even name the people we’ve had over the years. But [the events] always drew a crowd.”

In the beginning, The Book Works was next to a cookware store, which enabled it to host many chefs as they began releasing their own cookbooks and, in turn, it developed an extremely comprehensive cooking section.

“There have always been a lot of foodies in the area, so it worked out,” said Christiansen, adding that The Book Works was the venue of Julia Child’s final book signing.

In 2006, Christiansen sold The Book Works to longtime employee, Lisa Stefanacci, but she continues to consult in the store. Stefanacci, equipped with a Ph.D. in neurobiology, developed a Mind-Brain Series, which has brought in many more author visits, thanks to her expertise in the field and connections with well-known scientists. The series has since developed a large following.

For the store’s 35th anniversary, The Book Works will host author Patricia Churchland, who recently released Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us About Morality (Princeton University Press).

“She was one of our first authors when Lisa took ownership,” said store manager Jennifer de la Fuente. “So we’re bringing her back. And instead of the usual [author event], we’re bumping it up and having a big event. We’re expecting a pretty big crowd.”

Just in time for the party, The Book Works has just this week undergone a slight renovation, opening up the space between the bookstore and the adjoining café, Pannikin.

“We wanted the cafe to sort of come into our space a little bit more,” said de la Fuente, “to create a more fluid energy between us.”

The renovations were spearheaded by the management of the Flower Hill Promenade, the mall that houses the bookstore.

“It was good timing for us. It gave us a long overdue freshening,” said de la Fuente. “The comments have been overwhelmingly positive. The store looks good. It’s got some pizzazz, you know?”

Though it’s too early to tell if the renovations will affect sales, de la Fuente is optimistic, and has already noticed more café overflow in the bookstore.

The Book Works continues to rely on its dynamic programming to bring in customers, said de la Fuente, adding that the store is also very present online, using e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter as marketing tools. Christiansen added that the store has had to undergo many changes in 35 years, in order to stay relevant.

“It still has the soul of the original bookstore,” said Christiansen. “The times have changed for booksellers, and it’s definitely been a struggle, but it seems like we have a really loyal clientele that really care about books, and really care about us. It’s heartening. People come up to us and say, ‘Thank God you’re still here.’”